Patrick Barnard

Research Geologist

Short Biography

Dr. Patrick Barnard has been a coastal geologist with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz since 2003. His research focuses on the dynamics and evolution of the high-energy beaches and estuaries of California, with an emphasis on storm- and climate-change related impacts. His research has been published in over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and presented over 100 times at scientific conferences and universities. He is a member of the Bay Area Ecosystem Climate Change Consortium (BAECCC) and the West Coast Governor’s Agreement (WCGA) Climate Action Team, serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Coastal Research and was appointed to the Oversight Committee for the National Research Council study on sea-level rise for the U.S. West Coast. He received a BA from Williams College, MS from University of South Florida, and PhD from UC Riverside.

Get information here about the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS):

Barnard, P.L., 2003. The Timing and Nature of Glaciofluvial Erosion and Resedimentation in the Himalaya: the Role of Glacial and Paraglacial Processes in the Evolution of High Mountain Landscapes. Published Ph.D. Thesis, University of California, Riverside, 295 pp.

My USGS Science Strategy Areas

Coastal Processes and Hazards

Patrick currently leads two projects at USGS:

1. Climate Change Impacts to the U.S. Pacific and Arctic Coasts: The primary goal of this project is to develop a rigorous, systematic research project to address the physical impacts of climate change and sea level rise to the varied geomorphic settings along the Pacific and Arctic coasts.

2. San Francisco Bay Coastal System (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/coastal_processes/sfbaycoastalsys/): The objective is to understand sediment transport processes and anthropogenic influences from the delta to the ocean.